Twenty years ago, John Glenn's reprise lifted America's spirits

Before astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, scientists thought weightless people might be unable to swallow. They were worried that his eyeballs would become deformed, damaging his vision. Some worry that weightlessness will be so intoxicating that astronauts might refuse to return to Earth. No one knew what was going to happen, except a few secretive Soviet scientists, who had already launched two people into orbit. Less than five hours into Glenn's flight, all these questions and more were answered by a 40-year-old Mercury astronaut. America held its breath as Glenn took to the air for the first time. Millions of Americans, from frail World War I veterans to sprightly first graders, followed his initial flight. Television stations broadcast his coverage continuously, including the surprisingly steady sound of his heartbeat. He was trying something terrible and wonderful, and awe was the order of the day.

On that flight, he carried an Ansco auto-setup camera, which he bought at a Cocoa Beach drugstore. NASA engineers hacked the camera so he could use it with astronaut gloves and a handle with buttons to advance the film and control the shutter. With it, Glenn was the first person to take color photos of the Earth while traveling in space. The 35mm camera has been collected by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, along with other artifacts from the Mercury Friendship 7 and Glenn tri-orbit missions.

Upon his return, fans packed the streets to watch the 2016 Olympics in Washington, D.C., and New York City. A joint session of Congress gave him a standing ovation. Noting America's affection for the famous astronaut, President John F. Kennedy quietly told NASA officials that Glenn's life was too precious to risk on another flight. With no opportunity to fly, Glenn left NASA in 1964 and entered business and politics.

Twenty years ago this month and 36 years after his first flight, U.S. Senator John Glenn once again donned a space suit and flew into orbit. As before, when the 77-year-old grandfather flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery on October 29, 1998, Americans were engrossed in the adventure. As before, he had a camera with him.

During his months of training, Glenn enjoyed photography classes, especially after a geologist and geographer told the astronauts what kind of images they wanted to see. He cherishes the opportunity to see the Earth and enjoys using Nikon digital cameras. The snazzy (for the time) state-of-the-art model used by other crews, easily operated with interchangeable lenses. The museum also houses the space shuttle Discovery and a collection of other artifacts known as STS-95, and a new generation cheered the mission as the elder Glenn once again became America's most talked-about explorer. As Joe Derrick of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote, "Ohio's senior senator certainly wouldn't have noticed that he was not a born politician. He always did better at his first job. As an American hero,

Three years ago, Glenn began his relentless battle to orbit the Earth again as a member of the Senate Select Committee on Aging, urging NASA Administrator Dan. Dan Goldin asked him to become a guinea pig to study the similarities between the symptoms of aging and the effects of weightlessness. Goldin was skeptical, but eventually told Glenn in January 1998, "You. Passed all the physics tests, the science is good, and we have a press conference tomorrow to announce John Glenn's return to space. " John Glenn, Jr., Henry C. Casserly, 1998 (NPG? Henry C. Casserly, Jr)

Glenn wanted to show Americans that age did not have to be a limitation. He said: “On behalf of all those our age and older, and those who will soon be our age, I can assure you that I will do my best. ” d. He hoped such experiments would alleviate “the frailties of old age that plague so many people.”

Glenn did not tell his family about his campaign until Christmas 1997. His wife and two middle-aged children were not thrilled. The 1986 Challenger space shuttle exploded after liftoff. The image lingered with his son Dave, now a father, but despite his family's objections, Glenn planned to go on the nine-day mission with the six astronauts. During the process, he received eight months of physical and technical training. During one exercise, the 70-year-old man fell freely into the 9- to 10-foot-high swimming pool under the influence of a parachute and life-saving equipment. /p>

On launch day, the crowd at Cape Canaveral included at least 2,500 reporters and more than 250,000 spectators, some of whom had been there on February 20, 1962, when he first set foot On a journey into the unknown,

The Smithsonian Institution's Michael Newfield, senior curator of space history, recalled the excitement of that day at the Air and Space Museum: "They had TVs, and they were just packed. People watching the launch. Most of them were too young to remember the original flight.

Newfield believes part of the interest came from Glenn's age and the sense that "if a 77-year-old could do it, you and I could go into space." The museum participated in the Glenn Encirclement and has more than 18 pieces in its collection, 1,000 Electronic Postcards to Senators/Astronauts from People Around the World "Thank you so much for reminding me that the only limits in life are the ones you impose on yourself, and with hard work and a little luck, anything goes. It's possible," one said. Another noted, "Your mission is a great inspiration to the kids I coach at Gen Milam School in Grand Prairie, Texas. "

Glenn's discovery team members were Commander Curtis L. Brown; Pilot Steven W. Lindsay; Mission Specialist Scott E. Parazinski, Steven K. Robinson, as well as astronaut Pedro Duque from Spain and payload specialist Chiaki Mukai from Japan. But to most Americans, the names of the other astronauts were mere footnotes. After 90 successful shuttle flights, the public was tired of the hundreds of men and women who boarded the spacecraft.

Glenn participated in several shuttle-to-Earth interactions with other crew members. students' questions, interviewed the Prime Minister of Japan, had a live interview with Tonight Show host Jay Leno, and attended NASA's 40th Anniversary in Houston with Golding and newscaster Walter Cronkite He hosted coverage of Glenn's first flight at the luncheon and happily retired to cover the flight for CNN. There were no bathroom facilities in Glenn's Mercury cabin, so he wore Wearing a condom with a rubber tube attached and a collection bag strapped to the back of one leg in case he needed to pee, Discovery's facilities provided privacy and relative ease of eliminating body waste during liftoff and landing. His crew wore diapers in case of emergencies. John Glenn, by Boris Artzybasheff, 1962 (NPG? Boris Artzybasheff)

Glenn took 10 blood samples in orbit. and 16 urine samples to measure the effects of weightlessness. Every day, he and the Mukai crew tracked their food consumption, even while he was sleeping. At a designated bedtime, he swallowed a thermistor capsule that recorded his body's core temperature. During some sleep periods, he and Mukai wore an electrode mesh cap that tracked breathing, body and eye movements, and muscle tension. and brainwave devices, both underwent computer testing to determine how the astronauts' sleep disorders affected their cognition.

John Charles, the flight's project scientist, now. A resident scientist at Space Center Houston, he said Glenn's tests turned up nothing significant because it was impossible to draw conclusions based on a sample from an old Yankee. However, Charles said an examination of the crew's readings did yield results. An unexpected conclusion: Despite the age difference (the oldest member of Glenn's crew was 9 when he orbited in 1962), his readings were very similar to those of his colleagues.

< p> The mission of discovery was not limited to medical testing. The crew conducted more than 80 experiments. The largest mission was the launch and recovery of Spartan, a satellite that studies the solar wind, when it launched on November 7. At the end of the flight with a safe landing at center, Glenn could have been lifted out of the shuttle to minimize the shock of returning to normal gravity. He insisted on walking, but later admitted that during the landing he vomited repeatedly, delaying the crew's arrival.

Although some critics viewed the senator's second flight as a NASA publicity stunt, Glenn once again felt American by writing letters, requesting appearances, and *** flatter. Some children have a special affection for this grandfatherly figure, while many older people find his achievements inspiring. Once again, Glenn found himself at the center of a New York City ticketed event, with an attendance of just 500,000 dwarfed by his 1962 event, which attracted 4 million. However, as the "***" reported, "There are many delightful scenes during people's brushes with history. Fathers carry their children on their shoulders, children wave American flags, People lined up to buy commemorative T-shirts.

In orbit, Glenn repeated his words from 1962 when he described the weightless state, "Zero gravity, I feel good. "He looked at the beautiful planet below, a picture he thought he would never see again. A tear appeared in his own eyes, and settled there. "In zero gravity, "The tears wouldn't roll down your cheeks," he later recalled. It just sits there until it evaporates. John Glenn: American Astronaut

In February 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. Since then, John Herschel Glenn Jr. has stood in the popular imagination as a quintessential American hero.

In John Glenn: American Astronaut, a special edition e-book including 45 stunning photos and a video, Andrew Chaykin explores Glenn's path to greatness